Unanswered
by Serenadea
Summary: A sworn enemy of Konoha loses her memory and proves to them she deserves a chance to start over. Misunderstandings and unanswered questions arise from her past. Who is she, really? And what will her once-followers do to get her back?
1. Chapter 1

**I feel obligated to warn anyone reading that this is my first fanfic ever...go me. Hopefully it's decent! This idea has been floating around in my head for a while now, so I've decided to just get it over with and write the darn thing...here goes!**

**I don't own Naruto. Imagine that! Same goes for any other copyrighted material that shows up here. But my characters are _mine._ Don't steal them, darlings.**

* * *

"_Oh, I understand what you mean," said the little prince, "but why do you always speak in riddles?"_

"_I solve them all," said the snake._

_And they were both silent._

_--The Little Prince _

* * *

_He had thought he would have the road to himself, what with the recent heat wave sweeping across the country. It was an all-consuming heat, leeching energy and life alike with great tendrils of withering temperatures. But here he was, drenched in sweat and feeling rather less than amiable, his path being blocked by a young child sprawled across the narrow dirt road. Her current state of health seemed rather questionable. Cautiously, the man poked her in the side with his foot._

_Her eyes slid open, staring up at the startlingly blue sky, with as little expression as a mask._

_She was blind. She had always been blind. It was a fever, when she was very small, a fever that would not break for many days. But it did not matter; not really. She had other ways of seeing._

_The man cleared his throat, visibly unnerved. "Are you lost or something?"_

"_Are _you_?" When he did not reply, she struggled to her feet, brushing the dirt from her clothes. She was fairly tall for her age, which he guessed to be around ten, and dressed in nondescript colors. With a shrug, the man brushed past and continued on. Better not to get involved, better not to ask questions._

_Only…he had not spoken to another human in months, it seemed, and now that the opportunity was there…_

_With a sigh, the man glanced back to see her still standing there, still staring up at the sky as though in thought. He had never seen such eyes; they were the color of sea foam, of hurricane skies, shrouded with blindness and the walls that arise from an unforgiving life. How could someone so young already carry the scars of an outcast? How could a child hope to survive on her own?_

"_What's your name, kid?"_

"_Don't have one. At least," she smiled a little, gaze focusing somewhere to the left of his face. "No one's ever told me if I do have one. So that's that."_

* * *

So that's that. If only all things were as easy as such. Hitomi stumbled away from the scene of the raid, weight mostly supported by a bloodied staff. The feel of the wood against her calloused hands was familiar. She'd had to use it far too much as of late, it seemed.

"Hitomi-sama! All the items have been gathered, as you asked. They await your inspection now."

The figure impeding her way looked down at her with bright brown eyes, warm and excited from their recent success. From somewhere far away, she was able to dredge up an answer.

"Good. Thank you, Daichi. Keitaro here yet?" When the young man shook his head, she sighed and glanced back towards the rest of her followers. "Suppose I should keep an eye on all of you then. C'mon. Our work here isn't finished just yet."

"Of course, Hitomi-sama!" He gave her a quick bow and sprinted ahead, energy practically radiating from his pores. She chuckled a little, watching him go with a fond gaze.

"Cute kid. His admiration seems to border on worship, when it comes to you. All of them seem to think you are some infallible leader. A goddess of war. Is that what you are these days?"

"Don't ask stupid questions, Taro. You know I hate that."

"Hm…where's the respect I used to get? It used to be Keitaro-sama this, Keitaro-sama that." The man bumped shoulders with her lightly as he walked ahead of her. She snorted derisively , but there was a smile on her face that said she was happy to see him. There was a strong aura of intimacy between them—not like that between lovers, for physical intimacy is nothing compared to the deep familiarity of the mind. It was more a feeling that the two, despite age differences, were practically the same person; that they could share thoughts by merely glancing at one another.

"Another success?" He prodded when she didn't respond to his bantering. Something serious was on her mind. He could see it in the darkness of her eyes; they were the color of the sea just before it capsizes a boat.

"You know it was, Keitaro. Otherwise we wouldn't be standing here. Where the hell have you been all week?" Hitomi asked, her irritation half-hearted, before tossing her staff at her once-savior. He caught it out of reflex, amber eyes full of distress. "Look, Taro, I've been thinking lately…"

Exactly what she had been thinking, he did not find out because one of the older patrollers ran up, gasping for breath.

"Hitomi-sama. Keitaro-dono. They…" she took a steadying gulp of air and straightened. "They're coming. The Konoha ninjas. We have to leave, now."

"Sound the alarm then, idiot! You don't have to ask permission!" Hitomi snapped. As the woman moved to join the rest of the raiders, she grabbed her arm briefly. "Good work, Aya." Though the woman was at least ten years Hitomi's senior, she beamed, basking in the praise. Then she raised her hands to her mouth, and let loose a piercing whistle, three times.

The once milling group of rogue ninjas suddenly moved with purpose, scattering into the forest like wraiths, leaving no signs they had been there. At least, no signs but for the bodies of their unfortunate victims. Keitaro eyed his subordinate curiously.

"We need to get moving, Mi-chan. Unless you want to get caught…"

"My leg was injured in the fight," she muttered, absently cracking her knuckles. "I'll distract them for a while. That will allow everyone to get back Home without having to worry. Go on—I'll catch up later."

Keitaro laughed. "Don't be stupid. If I don't get to have fun, neither do you!" With that said, he scooped her up in his arms and they, too, vanished into the trees.

* * *

"_What were you doing out there, anyway?" Keitaro finally asked one night. They had been travelling together for a few weeks now, the strange blind girl and he. She was sarcastic, laid-back, but very tight-mouthed when it came to anything important about herself. When he asked how she could see anything when she was so clearly blind, the girl just smiled. _

_Just smiled and said, with an acid bite, that it wasn't any of his business. _

"_Waiting." She swirled the river water with her feet, peering at it as though it held all the answers in the world for her. Perhaps it did, at that, for she seemed more a creature of the elements some days than a mere human child. "Is that a tadpole?"_

"_Waiting for what?" He asked. Her brow furrowed slightly and her eyes focused on him, almost translucent in the moonlight._

"_The end."_

* * *

The night was clear and moonless, accentuating the countless stars in the sky. Hitomi sighed, throwing herself on her back carelessly beside the fire. A number of her followers had already gathered there; there were only so many fires allowed in the Home, so as not to attract any undue attention to themselves, and this forced the rebels to sleep in close quarters if they wanted to keep warm.

A person can get used to anything, after a while. Any fear of heights was quickly overcome, here. It was a necessity when you lived in the treetops, always closer to the sky than the earth.

"You okay, Hitomi-san? Does your leg still trouble you?" The young medic half-rose to his feet, brow furrowed with worry before she could reply.

"No, thank you. I am quite well." Despite this assurance, many of the other ninjas seemed unconvinced. Akira, one of the elders of the group at twenty years of age, leaned forward on his elbows to speak.

"You seem pretty…quiet. Something got you down?"

She laughed a little. "Nah. I was just thinking of how far we've come since the beginning…I'm proud of the way everyone handled themselves and dealt with the situation. It's hard to run from those people, I know. But we have a lot of work to do before we can face them down."

Several of them nodded their consent, faces grim with resolve and hatred. Daichi pounded his fist on the ground and spat with disgust, brown eyes darkened with his desire to fight.

"Damn those shinobi," he hissed between his teeth. "I can't wait until I get my hands on one of them. They'll pay for what they've done!" Hitomi indulged him with a rare, true smile and reached over to touch his shoulder with a calming hand.

"They will pay, Daichi. I promise you that. I promise all of you that." Her eyes returned to the sky, turned to crystallized jade in the strange light, the fire reflecting in an almost demonic way within them. But rather than being unnerved by this sight, the rebels smiled eagerly—this was their leader, their 'goddess of war', as Keitaro had put it. "They will suffer…as we have suffered…and there shall be no safe place in the world. Because I will find them. I will hunt every last one of them down, by myself if I have to."

"We will be there with you, Hitomi-sama! We will fight together."

She spoke again after a moment, the words more for herself.

"They _will_ suffer."

"Tsunade-sama?" The Hokage looked up at her with a vague sort of grunt. Shizune bowed, catching her breath as she did.

"There has been another raid, just a few miles outside the village walls. A group of our scouts caught a glimpse of the raiders, but little more than that. They vanished into the air, it seems. There were no survivors. The damage was…terrible. Just like the last time."

The blond woman chewed on her lower lip, sighing lightly. That raid would be the tenth in the past couple of weeks, and still there had been no true sightings of the marauders who persisted in attacking innocent people and towns.

No, they did not attack—they annihilated. At first it had seemed just a series of thefts, but then…it had escalated to the point where she could not help but try to figure out a pattern in the seemingly random acts of destruction.

Each episode was fairly similar: no survivors, all the dead lined up in neat, respectful rows, no traces left behind. The only ones left alive were children, those with no connection to any of the Hidden Villages. All others were cut down with no discrimination; it was mindless, it was unpredictable, it was…a nightmare. It was as though this group of rebels were not human, but vengeful spirits. How was she supposed to track down a bunch of ghosts?

"Double the guards on the walls; send out more patrols. And make sure that all the nearby dwellings outside Konoha are fully aware of the danger. We will have to consider the possibility of having to evacuate them inside the village…" Tsunade made an irritated noise. "Also made sure to continue spreading the news that people should travel as little as possible. If they must, stay in large groups and stick to the main roads."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama!" Shizune turned on her heel, but then paused a moment."You know, Tsunade-sama…a lot of the ninjas are starting to worry. If they knew why all these raids are happening, maybe morale would not be so low, but as it is…"

"I know, Shizune. There's nothing I can do about that, though. I hardly know what to think these days…"

Shizune bowed and left the office swiftly to carry out the Hokage's orders.

Why were they attacking? Who were these rouge ninjas? What did they want, what could they possibly hope to gain? Her mind went in circles, tracing the familiar patterns of thought that had occupied her for the past month. The only clue, the only evidence that these were merely humans, was that they sometimes attacked for food and other similar items.

One of them had snuck in a while back, to steal medical supplies. She had caught a glimpse of the figure, silhouetted against the sky, saw a flash of his eyes; it had been terrifying. It was only a glance, over before she could grasp the situation, but it had been enough.

The hatred she had seen there was pure, unadulterated. Such loathing…such unfounded loathing…

* * *

_One week later._

The battle was intense, desperate, full of suffocating heat and violence. Keitaro and Hitomi, the leaders of the rebels, were right at the center of the chaos, both wounded, both unperturbedly fighting off the advances of their opponents. _Why_ the damnable ninjas had tracked them here, to their next raiding spot, was not their concern. It was, after all, fairly self-explanatory. But _how_ they had been tracked was more worrisome.

Hitomi supposed that it had only been a matter of time before the rest of the world had caught up with them. Her followers were not infallible. Nor were they invincible, she noted sadly, glancing briefly at the few of her fallen comrades.

"OY! A little help here, Mi-chan!"

She growled under her breath, but turned at once, intent on stopping the assailants all around her and her people. It was difficult to find space to move, what with the press of the confused mass of opposing ninjas and the members of the caravan. Both were fighting, both were falling.

A sharp blaze of pain across her shoulders made Hitomi fall to her knees, but she automatically twisted, slamming the head of her staff into the unfortunate man's throat, crushing the delicate windpipe. His eyes widened in horrified surprise and agony, collapsing with a liquid choking sound. She had no time to shudder as she struggled to her feet, no time to consider her next move before they were upon her again. Keitaro was a comforting presence somewhere to her left, fighting just as hard with a snarl fixed upon his face.

The rebels worked as a unit, moving forward before the enemies could take advantage of any weakness, not letting them gain any ground. _But we're outnumbered…whatever way you look at this, the only way we survive is by running. _Keitaro's eyes roved over the scene distractedly, only to be brought back to reality by a cry of distress.

_Hitomi. _

She had collapsed on the battleground, pain coursing along her spine, ending at her throbbing skull. Everything else…a blur. The young woman blinked groggily up at the sky, wondering how she had ended up on the ground. Sounds from the ongoing fight suddenly pierced the haze of injury.

'Ah; that's how.'

"Hitomi!" Keitaro knelt over her, ignoring the fight all around him, all other concerns eclipsed by her bloodied form. She blinked slowly, then coughed with difficulty, spitting up blood. "Everyone, fall back!"

He tried to lift her, but was stopped by her hands gripping his forearms with desperate strength.

"I'll…slow you down." Another painful cough, more blood. He winced, brushing her silvery hair away from her face. "This is…the last…for me, Taro."

"Like hell it is," he snarled. "Fall back, damn it all! Retreat!"

"You have to leave me, Keitaro. They'll…never know. There are so many civilians here…I can blend in…go on."

"No."

"_Keitaro._ There isn't time for this. Just…do it."

He heaved a sigh, staring down at his surrogate daughter, the reason that he continued to live and fight. Hitomi waited for him patiently, expectantly, eyes the color of new spring leaves, glazed and unfocused by pain. What was going on behind them was anyone's guess.

The ex-ninja's hands swiftly moved in the all-too familiar hand motions of his specialized jutsu. As it descended upon her, she smiled a little and gave into her pain-induced exhaustion. He could only pray that she would open them again to a kinder world. Keitaro lingered one moment longer, drinking in what could be his last glimpse of her.

"Goodbye, Mi-chan," he whispered before vanishing. The last of the rebels fell back into the forest, leaving their attackers to fight nothing but air. A few of the Konoha ninjas gave chase, but soon returned—if there was one thing the rouges were skilled at, it was disappearing without a single trace. Not even a scent trail was left behind, something that never ceased to baffle the ninjas attempting to track them.

Kakashi surveyed the area with a tranquil eye, catching his breath. So many wounded in so little time…these people, whoever they were, were deadly. At least there did not appear to be too many casualties; better yet, the caravan that the rebels had targeted was safe.

Slowly, Kakashi approached the figure that the rebel leader had been kneeling over. Was she one of them? Or just another victim? Either way, she was heavily wounded, blood soaking through her shirt and matting her silvery hair. Who was she? There was no time to consider his actions. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the wagon the others had designated for the wounded.

"There's no sign of the rebels…we may as well head back to Konoha. These people need medical attention. And…" Raidou's speech cut off abruptly as he saw the newest addition, his perpetual half-scowl darkening. "This girl isn't one of ours. Part of the caravan, maybe?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No idea. Her injuries seem to be the worst of the bunch, but that's nothing to go by. There's no time to check and make sure. Let's just bring her in with the rest of the wounded and go from there. Unless someone remembers fighting her?" He glanced around the patrol unit, but they all shrugged, answering in the negative. No, they had not fought against this silver-haired girl. There had been that whirlwind of a fighter, the rebel leader that they had 

attacked, but the two looked nothing alike. This girl was of average height, whip-cord slender, barely giving off the sense of having chakra. The woman they had fought was tall and radiated massive amounts of power, moving so quickly that you could not catch sight of her face.

"Besides," Genma pointed out eventually, "even if she_ is_ the same girl, then we can take her in for interrogation. She would know everything the rebels are up to."

The girl stirred restlessly, a soft moan of pain escaping her lips, reminding them that they had better get moving or risk wasting any more daylight.

* * *

"_What _are_ you?"_

_She smiled mysteriously. The blood ran in wine-colored rivulets across her skin, the trails twining themselves around her limbs like so many poisonous serpents. Poisonous serpents curling about her lovingly, just before they struck. Her eyes had lost their vibrant green-blue color, now flashing silver from the darkness. Cold and flat and soulless. _

"_What do you want me to be?"_

* * *

**Whew! First chapter done with. Please let me know what you thought! Any comments, questions, suggestions, things I can do better, huge grammar mistakes...feel free to write your mind. I will be eternally grateful **


	2. Chapter 2

_**Alright, so this one's shorter than the first. I think I might have frightened people away from the amount of feedback I got ... oops. Well, anyway, this might be a little rough--just got back from a weekend working on my Grandpa's farm and felt the need to continue this. Here we go!**_

* * *

_Darkness, you know, is relative._

_--My Sister's Keeper_

* * *

Several lost tempers and an overturned wagon later, the group arrived back through the main gates of Konoha. One of the main problems had been convincing the caravan members that it would be safest to proceed to the hidden village, and not their original destination: some backwater town the shinobi could barely recall ever existing.

The hospital was soon busy with treating all the wounded from the raid. The peculiar silver-haired girl was paid especial attention, since her injuries seemed to be the most extensive.

Kakashi frowned darkly at her prone figure, now hooked up to an I.V.

"Tsunade-sama." The woman looked up at him distractedly. "I think I should warn you about her. I spoke to all the caravan members, and she is not one of them. Which means she has to be part of the rebel group."

"I see." Tsunade chewed on the edge of one fingernail. "Anything else to report?"

"…No one seems to recall fighting against her. Besides that, there is nothing. We were unable to apprehend any of the others. They all vanished, like before. Except this one. I assume she was left behind because she would slow them down."

"That would be likely, given what we know of these people." Ruthless, extreme, aggressive."I'm going to need to keep her on 24-hour surveillance, in case she tries to pull something."

Kakashi bowed his head, eyes contemplative.

"I feel I don't need to tell you this, but…don't tell anyone else the girl's true identity. Let them wonder all they want. People may get irrational, and she's too valuable to lose. We need her alive if we're to make any use of her knowledge."

"Of course."

* * *

"Can you remember anything at all? Your name?" Tsunade asked, concealing her frustration with the rebel girl. Her brilliant green-blue eyes, full of walls and a habitual wariness, blinked in slow revelation.

"…I am…Hitomi."

"Just Hitomi?"

She shrugged, wincing slightly as it pulled at her wounds. "I think so. I recall another name, Tsukino. Don't think anyone ever called me that, though. But…I'm afraid I don't remember much more than that. Just a few things that don't make sense put together," she admitted apologetically, scratching the back of her head and smiling in a way that Tsunade could have sworn she had seen before, had the Hokage been paying attention. As it was, Tsunade was too preoccupied with staring at Hitomi in disbelief to notice much of anything.

'That…isn't possible. No! It can't be. Tsukino-san swore he would never have children…He's been dead for—!'

The woman inspected the girl closer, looking for signs of the man she had known so long ago. Milky-pale skin, short and spiky silver hair, her vividly colored eyes, the elegant bone structure, nothing was there. But then…the slightly sardonic tilt to her eyebrows, the distantly unforgiving cast to her otherwise beautiful face. And the way Hitomi turned her head a bit, so you couldn't face her straight on…

Could it be…?

"Well." Tsunade tried to collect herself, flipping through the papers on her clipboard, reviewing Hitomi's medical information though she could have rattled off the facts from the top of her head. "As you're probably aware, you have sustained extensive bodily injury, to your shoulders, spine and head especially. You'll be in the hospital for two weeks, maybe three, and in physical therapy afterwards."

Hitomi frowned slightly. "Is that really okay? Treating a stranger like this?"

"Excuse me?" Tsunade was surprised, almost irritated, by the candor of the question.

"Well, it's just…" she laughed a little, useless eyes flickering around the room. "I could be your enemy or something. And here you are, willing to spend the time fixing me back up. It doesn't make much sense."

"I don't suppose you've ever heard the saying, 'innocent until proven guilty'?" Tsunade didn't bother smiling, but she couldn't help speaking gently to the girl. She was slightly taken aback with how Hitomi had, however unwittingly, pointed out the very problem of her being there. "I will be having you watched carefully, but I would take those precautions with anyone with these kinds of injuries."

"Of course…can I…ask a question?" When the Hokage nodded, she continued on quickly.

"I'm blind; I know I am, because I remember being blind…but I can see you. I can see everything in this room. Just about as well as you can see. Why…?" Hitomi shook her head worriedly. "It doesn't make sense."

Tsunade chewed on her lower lip, wondering if she should tell the truth. Her decision was made quickly.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Don't worry too much about it, Hitomi-san. Try to get some sleep."

"Of course, Tsunade-sama. Thank you."

Hitomi settled back down on the hospital bed gingerly as the blonde woman swept briskly from the room. She couldn't quite get rid of the anxious feeling that the kind woman did not trust her. Well, it was only to be expected. Her eyes drifted to the window, wishing it were open so she could see the sky….She remembered always being close to that vast expanse of blue.

Sleep curled its firm grasp around her tired mind and she had not the heart to resist.

Outside, the Hokage was leaning against the wall, trying to compose herself. Visions of the past paraded before her eyes, swamping her emotions. Tsukino Keitaro…exiled for actions against the Hokage of their time, rumored to be deceased for so many years. What could the girl possibly have to do with him? Unless he was leading the rebel group…it seemed…improbable. But then again…

She thought, suddenly, of the strange metal chips she had come across deep in Hitomi's eye cavities. Those must be what allowed the girl to see…how did they work? And more importantly, how did they get there? So many questions to answer.

"Hell and damnation," she muttered, but there was no force behind the words. Then she set off to, hopefully, make a dent in her never-ending amounts of paperwork.

* * *

Keitaro's eyes drifted around the glade once again. Searching, as he well knew, for someone who was not there. Someone who would, in all probabilities, never be there again. With Hitomi's memories gone, she was no longer a liability to the rebel's existence, but she was also incapable of returning.

He had left a few memories untouched. Not enough to give him away, but enough for her to recall his face, a few of the good times. He had to. He couldn't just…

Face buried in his hands, he never saw the pitying glances thrown his way, the grief-stricken faces as all realized the loss of the beloved young woman. Keitaro had been the one to start the rebellion, to start the battle against Konoha, but _she_ was their leader. _She_ was their light, their hope, the symbol of their future.

Gone.

Gone were her mercurial moods, her quick smiles and reassuring presence. Vanished, like so much smoke curling into the sky, whisked away by the wind. Vanished.

* * *

_She was still crying her silent tears, glancing back every so often to the formless huddle at the side of the road. After some time, the man stopped walking. Her eyes were especially clouded today, the green-gray color of sorrow and moldering leaves. _

"_He was going to die anyway."_

"_I know."_

_He tried again. "We couldn't have done anything to help."_

"_I know that too."_

"_Stop crying then, will you?!"_

"_Yes, Keitaro-sama. I will stop crying." But when he looked back once more, she hadn't obeyed. With a sigh, he lifted her up onto his shoulders and held on to her delicate hands. _

_He wanted to tell her that it was okay to cry but the words wouldn't come. He wanted to let her know that she would be safe with him, that nothing could harm her. _

_But that, too, was a lie. _

* * *

"If what you say is true, wouldn't it be easier to force her memories back? To search for them yourself?"

"You think I haven't tried that already?!" Tsunade snarled at them, amber eyes narrowed dangerously. Realizing that her hands had clenched into fists, she forced herself to relax, turning her gaze on the perplexing girl. "I've never seen anything like it…usually there will just be a block in the mind, easily gotten around, but…there's nothing there. Almost as if her mind has been erased."

Shizune and Sakura shared a look of disbelief and curiosity.

"Erased…how'd she remember her name?" Tsunade sighed.

"That's another thing that worries me. All her memories up until age ten appear to be intact, though they are disjointed, incomplete…then it's just a few scattered memories…and then nothing. Absolutely nothing."

There was a anxious moment of silence between the three women.

"Sakura!"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?" A feeling of apprehension overwhelmed her when she saw the look in her teacher's eyes. It usually did not bode well for others when the Hokage was that troubled.

"I'm putting you in charge of Hitomi." Sakura took the file handed to her. "She'll need to be watched closely. You know the drill." Tsunade swept from the room, Shizune shooting a sympathetic glance towards the pink-haired girl before following suit.

* * *

**Poor Sakura. Wonder how those two will get along...? You'll just have to find out. Next chapter will have (hopefully) some actual plot and character development! Yay!! Aaaand we get to see some more characters, which is always good.  
Review? Please? **


	3. Chapter 3

**I feel that it takes me an obscene amount of time to update. My apologies…I am easily distracted and life tends to be, for lack of a better word, hectic.**

* * *

_Personality: Tense. Is that past or present tense? It's perpetual tense. I have the social graces of a common house-fly._

_--Obasan_

* * *

With an irritated sigh, Sakura approached the bedside of the still-healing girl. In sleep, her face was peaceful, almost angelic with her pale coloring. Not the face of a murderer. Not the face of a vicious rebel bent on destroying Konoha. Not even the face of a normal ninja.

'Of course I would get stuck with taking care of the nutcase. It's not like I have anything _better_ to do, right?' The young woman's teeth gritted in annoyance as she threw herself down in a chair to wait. Almost as soon as she had settled herself, however, Hitomi opened her eyes.

Brushing a few strands of hair from her face with a shaking hand, Hitomi vainly attempted to struggle into sitting position. Having failed most spectacularly, causing herself unnecessary pain, she blinked owlishly up at the pink-haired medic leaning over her.

"Uh…hello?"

"Good morning, Hitomi-san. How are you feeling?" The medic's voice was friendly enough, but her eyes were wary. _What is it with these people? Do they think I'm going to infect them with rabies or something?_ Hitomi frowned slightly, eyes flickering to the woman's nametag.

"I'm fine, thank you, Sakura-san."

Though actually, Hitomi's spine was acting like it was trying to separate itself from the rest of her body and set up government elsewhere. This would have been perfectly fine with Hitomi, if the damn thing wasn't taking _so long_ to go about the whole separation part.

"Not hungry or anything? I could get you something to eat if you like," Sakura offered, knowing that a lot of people came out of surgery absolutely starving. Also, she would use any excuse to get out the room while she still could. The way that girl's eyes fixed on her face was unnerving.

Sakura was already out the door before Hitomi managed to figure out if she was hungry or not—decidedly not—let alone open her mouth to speak the words, "No, not particularly, thanks for asking." Her vibrantly colored eyes were left staring at where the medic had just been.

"Um…?"

That was when she noticed the other occupant of the room, cleverly hidden in the ceiling but unable to disguise his chakra. This didn't really bother her until, staring up at him through the holes in the ceiling, she saw a mask. That could only mean one thing.

ANBU.

A sudden panic gripped her, as she dimly recalled from somewhere far away that these masked shinobi meant death. Adrenaline and terror rushed through her body. 'Fight or flight, fight or flight…no, I.V. machines do not make good weapons. Unless I manage to hit him over the head with it. Oh damn, definitely flight.'

The ANBU agent watched, with a vague sense of horrified admiration, as the panicking girl tore the I.V. from her arm, forced her battered body up and off the bed, promptly fell, and began crawling to the door. He jumped down with the idea of helping her back up (and to stop her from going anywhere, as was his duty) but…

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Hitomi's scream, needless to say, attracted some attention. Sakura pushed past the nurses hesitating outside the door; they were under orders not to enter without permission, and only Sakura had been given this.

Her jaw dropped as she observed the scene.

"Shit." She took a breath and knelt beside Hitomi, the ANBU agent backing off but not leaving the room. "Now, Hitomi-san, there's no need to yell—"

"There's no NEED to have THEM watching me!" She shrieked, not paying the slightest attention to Sakura. "Get him out of here!" Her voice was more pleading now, her wide eyes fixated upon the pink-haired medic, who was growing increasingly irritated by the moment.

'I swear, if she screams one more time…'

"Hitomi. Calm down. You were informed that you were going to be watched carefully. It's for your own good."

"My own good? It's the ANBU! _How can that be for my own good?!_" She was hyperventilating now, trying to focus on the still-present agent and Sakura at the same time, and succeeding only in making herself more terrified. "Please, I don't care who watches me, but not them! _Anyone_ but them!"

Anyone? Sakura bit her lip as she thought frantically. If it would keep her quiet…

"I'll see what I can do, Hitomi-san, but I can't make any guarantees. I'll have to take it up with the Hokage."

The young woman calmed almost instantly, though her bright eyes were still fixated on the source of her panic. Sakura heaved a sigh and hoisted Hitomi to her feet. She gladly accepted the assistance back to her bed.

"But he," Sakura jerked a thumb at the agent, "stays for now. Okay? Can I trust you for five minutes?"

"Yeah. Sure." Hitomi glared at the agent. "Five minutes."

* * *

"…So basically, you want me to babysit for you."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed at the chuunin.

"Since we are dealing with a highly dangerous rebel, I don't think 'babysitting' would be an accurate description."

Shikamaru shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not like she can remember anything."

"For the moment." The Hokage frowned up at him, propping her head on one hand. "In any case, I need you to watch her for me. See if she does anything out of the ordinary…I'll be having some others work with you."

A file was tossed his way and he caught it only out of reflex.

'Sakura—of course…Shino…Neji…Shizune-san…Kakashi-sensei? Really?' He glanced up at the Hokage. 'She really is taking no chances with this girl…'

"Well, guess I should get to work then, however troublesome it is…later, Tsunade-sama."

* * *

_They had been angry with her for a long time. She wasn't sure why, but it upset her. What would happen if she was no longer useful to them? What then?_

_Her eyes hurt. They always hurt these days. Thankfully they didn't make her keep them open for very long. She almost wished she were blind again—almost._

"_This way, Ko-chan."_

_She followed the voice obediently. There was no point asking questions. There were no answers to be found in this place. _

* * *

**So there we go! I feel like this one's shorter than the others…ah, well. Don't really know where I'm going with this, but probably will continue just for the heck of it. Huzzah!**

**Also, just a note...I'm fairly certain that "ko" means child in Japanese...please correct me if I'm wrong! Besides the obvious English, I only speak French and Finnish, so I wouldn't be surprised if I was totally off... .**

**Review? :D You know you want to.**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is dedicated to the brownie I stole from my brother. And the lovely doctor who took out my stitches! I am stitch-less! Finally.**

* * *

"_How do they know where I'm from?"  
Malacus raised an eyebrow. "You stick out somewhat."  
Logen flinched as a pair of laughing youths flashed by him. "I do? Among all this?"  
"Only like a huge, scarred, dirty gatepost."  
"Ah." He looked down at himself. "I see."_

_--The Blade Itself_

* * *

"We have to rescue her!" Daichi's eyes burned with a feverish light. "We are nothing without her. Nothing!"

"No," Keitaro stated flatly. "It was her wish to be left behind. She has no memory of us; we would all of us be strangers to her. I know it's hard to accept, but we must let go of Hitomi."

Akira raised his head from his hands. "Do we continue the fight?"

Keitaro realized that all of the rebels had gathered around this single fire, watching him intently. With Hitomi gone, he was their only leader, and the weight of that responsibility seemed…suffocating. They waited apprehensively, waited to find out if their purpose in the world still held true.

The destruction of Konoha.

"We will fight until every last one of them has fallen." A collective sigh was released. "That is our purpose, my people. Hitomi's loss is a painful one, but if we didn't keep fighting, she would be ashamed of us. I will fight until my last breath, for what we must prove, for her. Do you stand with me?"

'Mi-chan…' Keitaro kept an outward appearance of determination, but inside he was grieving. 'Be safe, my child, my love. When Konoha burns, I will save you.'

* * *

"Sakura-saaaaaaaaaaaaaan!"

The pink-haired girl rolled her eyes and looked over at the pouting girl, whose brilliant green-blue eyes were innocently wide. "Yeah?"

"I'm thirsty."

"If you eat your breakfast, I'll go get you some juice," she said with a sigh. "That was the deal, remember? You drink too much anyway."

"But I'm _thirsty,_" Hitomi said pointedly. Seeing that the other girl would not be budged, she flopped back on the bed. "Shino-kun would get me juice," she muttered, just loud enough for the medic to hear.

"Yeah, well, _Shino-kun_ would do anything to get you to stop whining."

Hitomi grinned slyly. "True. I don't think he's used to dealing with women. Poor guy."

"Not women like you in any case." Sakura shared a smile with the girl, hardly believing that she was exchanging such light-hearted words with her. The animosity she had originally felt towards Hitomi had faded away the past few weeks, watching how stoically she dealt with her pain. Not to mention how she joked about her 'babysitters', though Sakura could tell it irked her to be constantly watched over like an errant child.

There was something about Hitomi that drew people to her. It might have been her blunt honesty, her confident air, or simply the way her eyes seemed to hide something. You couldn't help but want to find out her secrets and to share your own.

So far, Sakura had found out precious little.

The door slid open and Kakashi stepped into the room, raising his hand in a little wave.

"Yo, Sakura. The Hokage's asking for you; I'll take over here." He smiled at the two young women. "Doing well, Hitomi-chan?"

"Yep." She smiled contentedly at jounin as Sakura excused herself. Hitomi always felt at ease around him. "Shizune-san thinks that I'll be able to leave the hospital next week."

"No kidding." His visible eye turned into a half-moon as he smiled. "Hey, I have a surprise for you, Hitomi."

She sat up straighter, tilting her head to one side. Her spiky silver hair fell across her face, into her dramatically colored eyes. Kakashi found himself comparing their features. Same skin, same hair. It was…_weird…_how alike this rebel was to him.

Very weird. Not that he thought about it a lot.

"C'mon." He tossed her the black sweater that had been folded on a chair. It was no secret to any of her caretakers that Hitomi was always cold, no matter the temperature outside. "We're going outside."

* * *

"What is your opinion of Hitomi?"

The pink-haired ninja blinked. "What do you mean, Tsunade-sama?" The older woman spun her chair around to face her, eyes intent on Sakura's face.

"I mean, her personality. Her character. How would you describe it?"

"I…I don't really know where to begin…" Sakura considered the question for a moment, then spoke slowly. "Hitomi is self-assured. She's honest, almost brutally so, but she's also…playful. Like a child. Sometimes it's like there are two of her."

"Explain."

"Well, she can be _so_ serious some days, _so _insensitive. And then she'll turn around and be joking with you like nothing happened."

Tsunade frowned, scribbling down a few absent-minded notes. Nearby, Shizune was holding her little pig to her chest anxiously.

"If I can ask, Tsunade-sama…what's going to happen to her once she leaves? Can we really keep on watching her forever?"

"…That's not something you need to know, Sakura." Nor something that Tsunade wanted to consider. As every day passed, it seemed more and more unlikely that Hitomi would ever regain any of her memories.

What would happen to her?

* * *

"Is it really okay for me to be out here?" Hitomi asked, almost timidly, even as she openly basked in the fresh air and sunlight. "We won't get in trouble?" Kakashi smiled at her reassuringly, leaning up against the side of the building.

"Don't worry. It's not like we're going anywhere. This place is hospital property in any case, so…technically you never left." He shrugged, making her laugh a little.

"Thank you, Kakashi-san!"

She moved stiffly because of her still-healing wounds, but it didn't keep her from exploring her the confines of the courtyard at a good pace. Kakashi watched her carefully while pretending to read his book, looking, as always, for signs that she was anything but a typical teenager. The only thing that could be construed as suspicious was Hitomi's watchfulness, though that could have been mere curiosity; after all, a hospital ward was not likely to provide an inspiring view.

After she had wandered enough to satisfy herself for the time being, Hitomi walked back over to the ninja, squinting in the brightness of the day. He could have sworn that her eyes flashed silver through their unique, bright color. Silver like burnished metal.

It was gone before he could tell if it was only a trick of the light. She was peering at the title of his book, a smirk playing across her lips.

"Pervert."

Kakashi eyed her with amusement. "Is that anyway to be talking to the man who brought you out here against the doctor's wishes?" he asked teasingly.

"_I don't want to learn any more of this. I…I don't like this…it hurts people."_

"_Is that anyway to be talking to the man who gave you back your sight?" She flinched away from his cold, hard voice, even as his fingers dug cruelly into her shoulders. "Ignorant child. Without me, you would be dead."_

"_I'm sorry."_

_He snorted and let go. "You'd better be. Start your forms from the beginning. Show me what you've learned."She raised her eyes to meet his gaze for the first time._

"_Make me proud, Ko-chan."_

She flinched, lowering her head quickly to hide her blush, and mumbled an apology. Brown eyes widened slightly at this show of chagrin. "Hey," Kakashi murmured, lifting her chin with a gentle hand so their eyes met. Hers were dark with disquiet. "It's okay. I'm only teasing."

Hitomi nodded. The memory refused to leave, playing over and over.

"Maybe I should take you back—"

"Not yet!" She grabbed his hand, pleading. "A few more minutes. Please?" He agreed, far less than grudging when he saw how her face lit up.

"Just a few, though," he warned. "Or else they'll come searching for you. Then we _will_ get in trouble." That seemed good enough for her, as she turned her back to him and ambled around the courtyard once more.

* * *

"Checkmate," Shikamaru finally declared. Hitomi groaned, propping her head up on her hands, surveying the board with a critical eye.

"Okay, either I'm horrendously terrible at this game or you're way too smart." She frowned, twisting a strand of hair around her finger idly, and he smiled. "I haven't won even once. Once!"

"Shikamaru-kun is known for his strategic prowess," Shino said in his usual monotonous voice as he entered the room, carrying a glass of juice. "I doubt you are at fault for your track record."

"Thank you, Shino-kun," Hitomi said cheerfully, taking the juice and moving over to make room for him on the bed. Despite the numerous chairs present in the room and much to Shikamaru's irritation, the bug-nin settled next to her without comment.

Shikamaru could not understand their relationship. Shino was constantly fetching things for Hitomi, and she seemed to enjoy his company despite the fact he never tried to be remotely entertaining.

Kindred souls, maybe? But they couldn't be less alike if Hitomi had dyed her hair bright blue and professed to strange midnight ritualistic dances. Not that Shikamaru cared in the least. The girl was far too troublesome for it to matter to him.

Sakura burst in suddenly, carrying a bag of, she pronounced gleefully, more clothes she had found for Hitomi. Shikamaru rolled his eyes. How many clothes did one girl need?

It was strange how they all seemed to gravitate to the silver-haired girl. Even though they were supposed to take turns watching over her, often there would be two or more in the room. The only person who seemed impervious to Hitomi's charisma was Shizune and the Hokage.

Hitomi laughed at something Sakura said, her green-blue eyes sparkling. Was it just the light, or was there suddenly a flash of silver instead of their usual color? Shikamaru shook his head and cleared away the shogi board.

* * *

"Checkmate!"

"Hn." The man's voice was completely unconcerned. "Looks like you win for today, old friend."

"Why yes. Yes, I do win, darling. Pay up."

He laughed at his companion's eagerness. "All right, all right. You'll know about that group that sprang up in the borderlands of the Fire Country and here?"

The other snorted. "Of course I know of it. What do you think I am, an idiot? But that was _her?_"

"Partly. She had a little help. I'll spare you the details. All you need to know is that she's become quite the little prodigy in your absence. All grown up." There were traces of fondness in his voice, but it was the fondness one might have for a greatly prized possession.

"Her eyes?"

"Perfect."

"I'm glad." He brooded over this new information, staring down at their finished game. "I don't suppose you're going to tell me anything else."

"You know me too well. Besides, Master will be displeased enough as is if he found out that I've told you as much as I have. We're not supposed to…interfere. I think he wants to see how well they are able to blend in with normal people before making more." He frowned suddenly, reached out and gently caressed his companion's face. "Not sad, my love?"

"Just…reminiscing. I missed being here. I missed you. This place seems so empty without her. She's doing well? Tell me that, at least."

"You won't be denied anything, will you? Brat. Yes, she is well." They were silent for a while, languishing in each other's embrace. "You worry too much."

"Someone has to. She _is_ my creation, after all."

* * *

"Here, put these on," Sakura said, tossing a pile of clothes at the girl currently lounging on the bed, playing a game of solitaire. Hitomi looked from the clothes to her several times, plainly confused, as some of the cards slid to the floor.

"What…what are these for?" Then, more excited, "Are we going out? But why?"

"I wanted to introduce you to the others. Just so the people know you when you're released next week. Tsunade-sama approved it, so we don't have to sneak out either!"

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"Well…I dunno. Do I have to change? Really? I'm rather comfortable."

The pink-haired girl put her hands on her hips, eye twitching in irritation. "What, you'd rather go out in what you're wearing _now? _For Kami's sake, you look like you're ready to brave a snowstorm instead of eighty-degree weather! It's _summer,_ Hitomi." The other girl flushed and ducked her head, and Sakura almost felt guilty for snapping.

Hitomi felt a little daunted—how should she act? What if they didn't like her?

Even so, being outside was motivation enough to get her dressed quickly. Sakura had a good eye; the skirt was shorter than what Hitomi would pick out for herself but fit well enough, and with a little negotiating, Hitomi convinced Sakura that it would be better—as long as she was denied the right to wear a sweater—if she wore a long-sleeved shirt.

Wouldn't want Hitomi-chan's delicate skin to burn, would she? They both rolled their eyes at that, but there was no further argument about Hitomi's clothing.

"Ready?" Sakura didn't wait for her reply before heading out the door. Hitomi took a steadying breath, then hurried after her. She waved cheerfully at the medics at the front desk, and then…

Sunlight.

* * *

**Bit of an odd place to leave off, I know. And yes, I know, dear little Shino is a tad out of character. Whatever. Moving on. Things are getting a little complicated, aren't they? What fun! Hopefully nothing was too hard to follow.**

**Reviews are, as always, VERY much appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yeah. Still alive (barely). Still writing (whenever I can, which is not often). Crew is starting up so I probably won't have a whole lot of time to devote to this…much love to all my readers!**

"_April Fool's."  
His mouth twists into a smirk. "But it's not yet April."  
"Yes," I say, marching ahead at a good clip. "And yet you are still a fool."_

_--A Great and Terrible Beauty _

* * *

"Do you think they liked me?"

Sakura rolled her eyes as she shut the blinds. That was, perhaps, the millionth time Hitomi had asked that one question. She had stopped counting after the first thousand or so. Everyone had seemed to be enchanted by the silver-haired girl, or at least had pretended to be, though such an enthusiastic response to her presence would be difficult to fake.

Indeed, Hitomi seemed to have a way with people. Sai, who was usually awkward with newer people, never certain of what to say, was completely as ease halfway through the night. Many of the boys were hanging on her every word—Sakura couldn't help but wonder if she did some things just to get a reaction from them.

"Yes, Hitomi, they liked you. Now, for Kami's sake," she said, turning to leave, "shut up and go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"'Night, Sakura."

"'Night, Tomi."

The pink-haired ninja sighed as the door clicked shut and the locking bolt slid home. Tsunade had finally relented, and allowed Hitomi to remain unsupervised at nights as long as she was locked into the room.

'What a night.'

Walking down the hall, she remained deep in thought until she ran straight into another person.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see…you…" Sakura blinked in confusion at the stranger. "Um, can I help you? Visiting hours are over…"

"Forgive me. I'm just one of the medics," the man said apologetically. "I was just stretching my legs out here for a minute. I was cleaning out the room from earlier…"

"Tsunade-sama has you working long hours too, huh," Sakura said sympathetically. "I don't think I've seen you around before. I'm Haruno Sakura."

"Agano Daichi." She got the vague impression of warm brown eyes and an animated demeanor from what she could see of him. "Pleased to meet you, Sakura-san." The young woman smiled at him pleasantly, wished him goodnight and went on her way, thinking nothing more of it.

* * *

The man knelt by her bedside, staring at her tranquil face almost reverently. Every elegant line of her face, every rise and fall of her chest, the way each eyelash brushed against her milky skin; he drank in every detail like a man dying of thirst.

"_I told you before, Daichi," Keitaro said angrily, "there is no way to reverse the memory wipe. And even if there _was_, I certainly wouldn't tell you about it! She's gone, and she won't be coming back. That's the way she wanted it to be."_

'You're wrong, Keitaro-sama. I'll find a way. I will save her.' Daichi ran his fingers lightly through her hair, admiring how soft the strands were. She stirred a little, leaning away from his touch. He smiled.

"Mi-chan…" The name he had longed to call her, but had never dared to before, rolled off his lips so easily, so sweetly. He leaned over her and carefully placed a small object in one of her hands. Her fingers curled around it unconsciously. "This is from all of us. Sweet dreams."

Daichi looked back one last time, and then he was gone. It was as though he had never been there at all.

Outside, an owl gave a soft cry and was answered in kind.

All was quiet once more.

* * *

"Check." The man shifted on the ground. "What are you plotting now?"

His companion didn't look up as he made his next move. "What makes you think I'm plotting something? Suspicious little bastard. Your move."

"You're always plotting," he yawned, moved a pawn forward carelessly.

"Well, if you must know, it has to do with _her_." Suddenly he grinned. "Check."

"More interfering?" The man deftly maneuvered his king out of harm's way.

"Never! Think of it as…a test."

"Check."

He frowned slightly. "You're getting too good at this."

"You're just out of practice."

"Hn. Check."

"Doest Master know anything?"

"Does he ever?"

"More often than you think, love," he chided softly. "Especially when it comes to you and your grand schemes. If you're going to 'test' something, you better be damned careful about it." There was a long silence, punctuated only by the sound of chess pieces being moved about the board. Finally, the first man smiled.

"Check."

* * *

Hitomi sighed despondently, leaning her head back and watching the clouds go by. It was a beautiful day but she couldn't find the heart to be pleased. There was too much standing in the way of her happiness.

'What now?'

She was almost fully healed. She would be out of the hospital, on her own. No money, no past, no connections, no hope of finding a job, no home. Just a handful of friends and a name. And she would rather die than have to live with one of them; they had already given her so much.

She had gained so many friends in so little time. She felt unworthy of all the attention they gave her; something about it felt…off. Like they were forgetting to keep an eye out for danger and letting down their guard for her.

"What now?" she whispered to the wind, green-blue eyes troubled, flashing in the sunlight. She never had to squint in the brightness, since her eyes were ruined anyway. "Where do I go from here…"

One hand strayed to the charm around her neck. The character for loyalty carved in dark, heavy wood. Another mystery—she had been holding it when she awoke in the morning a few days ago. She hadn't asked about, nor told anyone about it. It didn't seem…right. The nearly imperceptible weight was familiar.

"Hey, you."

Hitomi glanced at the silver-haired man in surprise. He was smiling, charming as always. The one warm, brown eyes she could see was soft with affection.

"You're not looking so happy, Hitomi-chan."

"I've just been thinking a lot." She shook her head. "Too much time, too little to think about."

"I've been there before." Kakashi chuckled a little and crouched beside her. "Can I ask what you were thinking about? Or is it a secret."

"No secrets. Just…" she sighed again. "I don't even _know_ anymore."

"Hm. Been there before too." Kakashi stood slowly and offered her a hand up. "Walk with me?"

Hitomi allowed him to drag her to her feet, the barest hint of a smile creeping across her face. Kakashi observed this slight transformation with relief. According to Sakura, whom he had been talking with before coming here, Hitomi had been like this for days. Downcast. Listless.

"Where are we going, Kakashi-san? You know I'm not allowed to leave the hospital grounds."

He shrugged. "I can take the blame if we get in trouble. So, anywhere you want to go?"

"I dunno. Somewhere…away."

The jounin gave her an odd look but started walking all the same. "I think we can manage that. How is the therapy coming along?"

"Good. I'll be of the hospital soon." She hesitated slightly. "That's partly what I've been thinking about, actually. I don't really have anywhere to go after I'm released…I don't want to be a burden to anyone, but honestly…"

Kakashi regarded her face for a moment, then looped an arm about her shoulders. "Hitomi, you're not a burden if people choose to help you out. You shouldn't even be worried about something like that. If all else fails, you could come live me."

She snorted. "Yeah, right. What a great plan."

"I always have room for a pretty girl," he teased.

"Pervert," Hitomi muttered, but she was smiling now. "Thanks, Kakashi-san. It means a lot. But it would better if you could just help me find a job. That way I can save up some money and get some dinky little apartment to call my own."

"You'll be staying in Konoha?"

She shrugged. "Until I remember everything. _If_ I remember anything."

"Hm. I, for one, will be glad to have you." Kakashi was glad for his mask—it hid the worry he kept out of his voice. He hadn't asked Tsunade-sama what she had planned for the amnesiac, but he could guess that it wasn't anything particularly good.

They walked in silence for a while, oblivious to everything outside themselves.

"Can I…ask a question?"

"Of course."

"…you know something about me, don't you. You and Tsunade-sama. Something that you're not telling me. Something that I can't remember."

Kakashi stiffened slightly and it was an effort for him to keep walking normally. He smiled at her a little, but there was no emotion behind it. If she could tell, it didn't show. For once, her animated face was still as a corpse. The vivid color of her eyes had dimmed, reflecting silver in the light. Usually he would think it a simple trick since the color vanished after a moment, but this time…

"You're not asking."

"Guess not." Hitomi's voice was flat. "Look, I'll make you a deal, Kakashi-san. You tell me the truth and I'll tell you the secret."

'Secret..?'

Her eyes went a darker shade of silver, then finally cleared. "Even the Hokage doesn't know. I'll tell you if you tell me." Hitomi scratched the back of her head absently, tossing the spiky strands of hair off her neck. "Deal?"

'What the hell are you talking about? You certainly know how to manipulate people.'

The ninja sighed and took a breath to reply.

* * *

"Hey, Billboard-brow." Ino elbowed her pink-haired friend in the ribs. "Isn't that Hitomi and Kakashi-sensei?"

Sakura frowned slightly, throwing an elbow in her friend's direction before looking to where Ino was pointing. "It certainly looks like it. I only know two people with that ridiculous hair color."

"Weird, isn't it? They're so…similar."

"You think?"

"Look at them! Like, really look."

Sakura stared at the silver-haired pair with Ino, squinting through the sun. Kakashi slouched a little, whereas Hitomi stood straight, but they both moved with the same self-assured grace; they had the same milky-white skin; the same silvery hair.

"You see it too, right? It's all too much to be mere coincidence."

"I guess it could be true…but I don't know, Ino. He doesn't seem the type that would have a kid and then just _leave_…and she's our age, anyway. He would have been…our age too, actually. Seventeen."

Ino grinned. "But what if he didn't realize? What if the girl never tried to contact him?"

Sakura frowned after the two. "Maybe. I don't know. Does it matter?"

"…I guess not. But people might gossip once she's out of the hospital, walking about town."

"Clearly," Sakura muttered dryly, "_some people_ are getting a head start. Ino-pig."

* * *

Kakashi watched the girl sitting across from him with a newfound respect, and perhaps a bit more caution than he had afforded in recent times. She sipped at her tea calmly, gazing at the people passing by with a secretive smile quirking her lips.

"…I don't quite know if I can believe you, Hitomi."

"Perhaps you simply don't _want_ to believe." She shrugged, unruffled. "I don't give a damn what you think, honestly. I know it is the truth; Kami knows it is the truth; that's good enough for me. But don't think I'm letting you off lightly—you have to uphold your end of the deal."

Pale fingers clenched around the teacup, the bones standing in sharp relief through her skin. A slight frown skittered across her features and then vanished, replaced with a carefully empty expression. The jounin felt as if he was trapped in her eyes, wide and vacant as the vast expanses of the sea, the color of drowning and lost hope. Green…blue…silver….green…silver.

"A deal is a deal; I do plan on telling you what little I know. But not here. It isn't safe."

She raised an eyebrow. "Isn't safe for whom?"

"I'm not joking around, Hitomi," he said sharply. "To you, at this moment, what I know is only a secret of how you came to be here; until you know the truth, you will never fully realize the danger you would be in if this secret was common knowledge."

"How many people know?"

"A handful at most. Perhaps a few more have guessed. It's difficult to say." He paused. "Are you quite finished? I should get you back to the hospital."

"But—"

Kakashi shook his head and rubbed at his face tiredly. "If you knew, you wouldn't be in such a hurry to find out, Hitomi."

That silenced her effectively; her head bowed and she stared blankly at the tabletop. He realized in that moment that he did not want to tell her, that he fervently wished what he must say was not the truth. Things would never be the same once she knew. Her memories might come back, even. And what then?

Hitomi had become precious to him, another strange constant added to his life. He didn't want that to be taken away from him, foolish as that desire may have been.

'We are all fools for you, aren't we? You've made damn sure of that.'

* * *

"What do you mean, 'he's gone'?" Keitaro narrowed his eyes at the young scout. "He was supposed to be in the southern patrol group. He was supposed to be _leading_ the southern patrol group. And how he's gone? Gone?!"

The young man instinctively cowered. "I-I'm s-s-sorry…"

He snorted furiously. "Oh, yes, that makes everything much better. You're sorry. Problem solved!" His eyes, dark with his anger, were narrowed like a predator's.

"Get out of my sight."

"Was that really necessary, Keitaro-san?" Akira raised an eyebrow, stepping forward from the tree he had been leaning up against. "Poor kid will be jumping for weeks now. You know that he's more sensitive than the others still."

"Necessary? We're missing one of our kin and you dare to ask me if that was _necessary?_"

Akira blinked slowly. "You know very well where Daichi went. It's not as though he was…inconspicuous about his doings."

"But why?" Keitaro shook his head. "I don't understand why. Going there is wishing death upon yourself. If he is discovered, he will wish he _was_ dead."

"But you do understand why," Akira said softly. "You understand better than anyone else here. If you were in his place, you would have done the same. For him, death is a small price to pay for what he could gain in return."

The older man's lips curled in a silent, frustrated snarl. "If you knew what he was planning," Keitaro hissed, "then why didn't you stop him?"

Akira wondered, lingeringly, who he was speaking to, and watched his leader's turned back without comment. It was a measure of how vulnerable Keitaro had become, allowing one of his followers to witness such a breach in his serenity. He felt a warm flame of pride; Keitaro trusted him.

"If it was in your power…"

Every muscle in his lean body was tensed, so still that Akira could see him trembling slightly.

"You would save her, wouldn't you. You would bring her back."

Akira nodded shortly, then realized Keitaro could not see him. "Yes. I would."

"No matter the cost."

"No matter the cost," he echoed tenderly.

* * *

**Wonder what's gonna happen next…? :D**


	6. Chapter 6

_All happy families are like one another; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.  
_--Anna Karenina

A storm was coming.

The skies were clear, a most benign shade of blue. Cloudless. Pure. Not a single breath of wind stirred the air or shook the trees. The air itself was soft and light as goose-down. Rays of light streamed through the open windows, filling the room becomingly.

Tsunade was not fooled.

"So that's how it is."

Kakashi nodded. "What are you going to do?"

"Keep watching her. Until I learn more about the rebels, there's not much else I can do. Also…" she sighed and spun her chair to face the window, squinting into the sun.

Yes; a storm was coming.

"Tell me, have you ever heard of the man Tsukino Keitaro?"

"A little. Nothing of significance, though. He was known for his peculiar combat methods, but he was only slightly above average when it came to ninja skills. He was exiled on the grounds of treason, presumed dead for years." The jounin crossed his arms. "Why do you ask?"

"He isn't—" Tsunade cut off abruptly and shook her head with irritation. When she turned back to face Kakashi, he saw something like regret in her expression. Regret, hope mingled strangely with fear. "I have reason to believe that he is very much alive. I believe that he is the leader of our rebels."

"How is he connected to Hitomi?"

"I could hardly say. She once claimed kinship with him. At the very least, she must have received training from him."

A brief silence fell.

"Find an excuse to get her out on the training fields. If Hitomi has been taught by him, you'll be able to tell right away."

"How?"

Tsunade shook her head again. "You'll know."

He hesitated slightly on his way out. "Is it safe to keep her here?"

"Safe enough. He…might come after her. It never was his way to abandon one of his own. So it's better if we keep her close."

* * *

"This the place?"

Hitomi turned at the sound of his voice, a genuine smile on her face. Shikamaru had learned pretty fast that she was a master of controlling what emotions and expressions she wore—but her eyes were a giveaway. They had a life of their own. She smiled a lot of the time, but rarely with any truth.

"Sure is. What do you think?"

He eyed the building critically. "Honestly? Looks pretty grim."

"Oh, I know! It is." Hitomi laughed delightedly. "It's perfect. You see that room, just there? The one with the broken window? That's the one I want. I've already asked the landlady; once I get the money, it's mine."

"Perfect," he echoed dryly. Hitomi laughed again, bringing a pleased smile to his face. "At the risk of sound rude…where exactly are you going to get the money?"

She stretched her arms above her head as they ambled leisurely away before settling into her usual perfect posture. The stiffness of her injuries had all but disappeared, lending her an air of grace, only diminished by her skittish tendencies.

"I've been asking around, and it seems some places are willing to give me work." For a moment, she looked oddly embarrassed. "Actually, Kakashi-san put in a good word for me, so that probably has a lot to do with it. Either way though, it won't take long to gather the funds."

They walked along in silence for a while. The young woman stopped suddenly, frowning off into the distance. When it seemed she may remain frozen without prompting, Shikamaru nudged her gently in the ribs.

"What's up?"

She shook her head slowly. "Dunno. I thought—no. It's nothing." One hand strayed to her chest, lightly touching her necklace through her sweater. "Nothing at all."

Turning to him with a forced smile that didn't reach her eyes—the color of murky water and weeds, a troubling shade he had never seen before—she said, "I promised to meet up with Kakashi-san at the training grounds. See you later?"

"Sure thing," he replied without thought. "Take care, Hitomi-chan."

She hurried away with a strange sense of foreboding. He watched her go, reluctant to lose her company but too self-conscious to run after her. Neither of them saw the shadows in the distance; shadows of ghosts, headed for the village.

_What are the limits of love? She stared out across the treetops, sightless, motionless. Where are the boundaries? When does is it ever become necessary to let go, to lessen the force of the emotion? What marks the line between love and worship?_

"_Keitaro-san?"_

"_Hm." He stood beside her, tall and solid as an oak, flexible as a blade of grass. He was strong as the mountains, fleet and uncatchable as the wind. He was her surrogate father, brother, teacher, friend. "Do you see something?"_

"_Nothing yet. Why…can you explain it again to me? Why we are here?"_

_One hand fell upon her shoulder in a fond half-embrace. "We're here to fight, Tomi-chan. These people have taken something precious away from me; away from all of us. They have stolen our hopes and dreams, shattered them into dust."_

"_And if we beat them, we'll get it all back?"_

"_Something like that," he said softly. "At the very least, justice will be done. They took our homes. And so we shall take their home."_

_Hitomi thought about this for a moment. Home was an abstract concept, a vague sense of belonging and warmth that she could only dimly recall from her first memories. It had been stripped away with her natural eyesight._

_No amount of fighting could reclaim her childhood. No amount of revenge could replace what she had lost in those dark caverns, where she had received her first name—Ko-chan. But if he asked it of her, she would fight to the death._

_Keitaro was her god. _

'I've never seen anything like it,' Kakashi thought, watching with a stunned expression as Hitomi playfully sparred with the others. As Tsunade had predicted, once he had placed a weapon in her hands, Hitomi's body knew what to do, even if her mind had some catching up to work on.

She seemed comfortable with combat. But it was more than that. It was as if she had been born to it, as if instead of water, she drew her nourishment from battle. There was no her and the weapon. It was her, the weapon.

There was, however, one aspect of combat that she did not seem to comprehend.

"Take it easy, Hitomi-chan! You don't want to strain yourself," Kiba said, eyes sparkling energetically. She laughed carelessly, but nonetheless eased up on her attack.

"What, afraid that I'll beat you?"

"As if!"

Kakashi shook his head and elbowed his companion in the ribs.

"So, what do you think?"

Iruka rubbed his side, glaring at him reproachfully, and replied snappishly, "I think she needs to take a bit of a refresher course in defense. Everything I've seen her do is an all-out attack. Even her evasion of hits is just to strike out again."

"No, I think she knows full well how to defend," the jounin said slowly. "It's more…she doesn't take into account that she should. Defense does not exist to her. Maybe her teacher didn't think it was necessary," he added, more to himself, thinking about what Tsunade had told him. Tsukino Keitaro, traitor and leader of the rebels.

"Maybe," Iruka said dryly, "her teacher was an absolute idiot." When Kakashi didn't even crack a smile, Iruka sobered up immediately.

"Look, Kakashi...I know that Hitomi is important to you. But I don't see how her being able to fight or not should matter." The silver-haired man gave no sign he had even heard. "Why do you care so much?"

"Why do you care so little?" A flicker of anger showed in the man's dark eyes. "You have no idea what she has suffered through; what more she still must suffer. You don't understand how hard it is to watch her smile and know that you will be the one to take that smile away."

He silenced abruptly, body tense.

"Kakashi…?"

"Forget it. It's nothing. Just forget I said…anything."

* * *

"Will you stop that already?" Hitomi glared at him, tossing a handful of torn grass at him half-heartedly. "You've been looking at me like that all day."

"Sorry, Hitomi-chan." Kakashi forced a smile. "I'm just a bit tired today. I should be going. Shall I walk you back to the hospital or is one of your admirers still hanging about?"

"I think Shino-kun is around here somewhere—"

He gave a relieved sigh. "Then I'll be seeing you tomorrow."

"Kakashi-san!" She caught his arm as he tried to pass by. "You promised me the truth. Remember?"

How could he _not _remember? Call the girl anything you liked, but call her horribly, damnably persistent. "I'm busy right—"

"If you don't tell me now then you never will. There will always be some excuse." Hitomi smiled bitterly. "You'll 'be busy'."

He stared into her useless eyes, taking in her harried expression. Bruise-like shadows had formed under her eyes, making her skin seem even paler. How much did she remember now? She had confided to recalling snatches of her memories; perhaps that was what disturbed her sleep.

How could someone in her position understand? Once he told her, everything would change. Hitomi tightened her grip.

"You promised," she repeated softly. Kakashi's visible eyes narrowed and all the emotion fled from his face. She dropped his arm instantly—it was like touching a statue.

"There is a group of rogue ninjas we are fighting. They are…impossible to catch, fiendish in their destruction. We don't what they are after. We don't know how many people they have or where they're hiding out. We can't track them, can't kill them…

"Their leader is a man once exiled from Konoha for treason against the Hokage. Tsukino Keitaro." Was that a flicker of recognition passing through her eyes? He pressed on, the worlds falling thoughtlessly from his lips. "But there is another, a second-in-command who everyone fears much more. She has a nickname, down in the southern towns. The Moonlight Devil."

Hitomi frowned. "Why…?"

He reached out and ran his fingers through her hair. The strands were warm, soft rather than silky. Kakashi sighed at her look of total incomprehension.

"For the color of her hair." _And her murderous intent._ "How many people do you honestly think have silver hair?"

It dawned on her then, what Kakashi was trying to tell her. It was there, in the warring conflict of wariness and concern on his face. Her heart began pounding to a panicked beat.

Now that she knew what to look for, the truth was everywhere.

Her reaction to the ANBU agent in the hospital; the way they had her constantly watched, wouldn't let her leave the grounds; the way Tsunade and Shizune watched her with distrust, so worried about awakening her memories.

It was true, then. She was a murderer. An enemy of Konoha, of the people she had grown to admire and care for. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as the urge to run as far as she could from the village emerged from her subconscious.

"Why haven't you killed me?"

Kakashi felt a shiver of horror at the look in her eyes. The eyes of the dead, unseeing, unfeeling, devoid of any signs of life or sanity.

"Because the Hokage has not ordered it. And because I think you are not the same person that you were before." He put his hands on her shoulders and shook her gently. "Maybe this is Kami's way of giving you a second chance."

She slipped away from his touch, taking a few steps back.

"You don't have to pretend to care anymore."

"What?"

"It's okay, really. I don't mind." Hitomi turned aside her gaze. "I can imagine it has been difficult, pretending to care about what you truly hate."

"Tomi, it's not like that at all—"

She backed further away, shaking her head.

"I…should go. Thank you…for your honesty. It is better to know than to think…"

"_Hitomi._"

Her eyes were wide, hands shaking with the effort of not running away.

"I don't hate you. I…would consider you a friend. But you leave the village, and I'll be forced to hunt you down and bring you back. I do care about you; there is no pretending on my part. So I hope you understand I only told you because I swore to…and because I think that it's better if you know. No one should have to go through life never knowing their past."

Hitomi nodded slowly, trying to absorb this information. Her arms curled around her middle, hugging herself tightly.

"That's…I'm glad. But I…I need to think. I have to be alone. I can't…I won't go far. But please. _Please. _Don't come after me. Don't send anyone after me." A crooked smile flickered across her face, gone as quick as lightning. "If Tsunade-sama asks, I'm doing some therapeutic meditation and will be back by morning."

"And you will be back?"

She nodded. "Whatever else you may believe of me, I don't go back on my word."

The shadows waited just outside the gates; in the treetops; wherever they could hide. They were waiting for a sign, it seemed, to converge upon the village and reclaim what they had once deemed forever lost.

* * *

…**Has it really been this long? I've been waiting for a bit of inspiration. But finally I've buckled down and wrote this chapter—only to find that it just basically leads up to the next bit that I have yet to write. Thanks for being patient with me.**

**Reviews are most happily welcomed!**


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